Fishhook barrel cactus casually eyes the moon;
amber in hue and enticingly so,
knowing well, it never hides a thing,
its slow, deliberate rise
and quiet strength, is at once a reminder
of the shackles around my wrist,
a nailed vulnerability through the palm,
the blood moon,
it’s not that I can’t see what you can see,
it’s just that I go deeper,
desert rose, desolation, desire or even damage,
nothing escapes, so as to speak.
What is the moon, where did it come from?
Does it feel the things we feel,
find comfort in hints of the familiar
or does it prefer to remain obscure,
is it somewhat like cheese that lessens,
is it full as an egg?
Does it speak of resurrection
or does it prophesize doom?
Come see for yourself, and tell me
if you succeed in measuring depth of field.
I have inhaled too much I am afraid;
followed the moon persistently,
it’s prickly, as cactus is in full bloom,
remember to be brave,
for it pays no heed to anything that tears easily,
it doesn’t take much for one to realize
the core of his failings,
question is, do we hunger for more or accept defeat,
do we dare to dream or put a limit,
who knows,
the moon only observes, only observes.
And now darkness holds no prowess;
some rejoice, while others treat with skepticism,
the blood moon
answers calmly to fishhook barrel cactus,
reminds that it’s a quiet type of chaos,
it’s both barrenness and fertility,
for name comes from fact that hunters begin
collecting food and storing it
for the long and cold winter months ahead,
It hangs above the prairie
and listens to the song of the coyotes,
hope burns,
maybe, just maybe, it is the end that’s
the beginning of me– for now I watch the moon,
it rarely seeks one out.
Photo credits: Picture taken on Sunday from iPhone.
Sarah is our lovely host at dVerse where she invites us to write moon poems.
Come join us! 💘
Posted for Poetics: Mooning Around @dVerse Poets Pub
30 Responses
reminds that it’s a quiet type of chaos,
it’s both barrenness and fertility,
that’s lovely, Saana – and this is a great meditation on the moon and the emotions it evokes.
Thank you so much, Sarah 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
(and thank you for the glorious prompt tonight) 🌹🥂
This has to be one of your best… the way you start with the cactus connecting with the moon made me think of a fable, but you go so much deeper in how the moon is the judge of our consciousness… were we maybe even seeing the blood moon the same way tonight.
Ah yes! We were definitely on the same wavelength today 😀 and chose to write on the same moon! I just came from reading yours and loved it!
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
there are so many layers to this poem Sanaa – enjoyed several re-reads
“It hangs above the prairie
and listens to the song of the coyotes,
hope burns,”
p.s. those eyes are full of all the seeing you describe in the poem
Awww gosh! Thank you so much, Laura 😀 so glad you liked it! 💄❤️
I agree with Björn…just stunning, delectable in words dripping with mood & atmosphere, at once a narrative, tale, story, and conversation, monologue. A beautiful experience to read
Thank you so much, Ain 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
An amazing title for an amazing poem, Sanaa! I especially love the lines:
‘it’s prickly, as cactus is in full bloom’
and
‘It hangs above the prairie
and listens to the song of the coyotes’.
Awww gosh! Thank you so much, my dearest Kim 😍 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Bravo!!!
Much❤love
Thank you so much, Gillena 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
Much love back 🍹
…blood moon
answers calmly to fishhook barrel cactus,
reminds that it’s a quiet type of chaos,
it’s both barrenness and fertility…
This section caught me Sanaa. The stark contrast expressed herein is the perfect expression of Autumn! Excellent writing my friend. 🙂✌🏼❤️
Thank you so much, Rob 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
i am going to have to come back for more of this poem.
❤️❤️❤️
Sanaa, this is not directly related to your beautiful poem, but your eyes look bewitching in this photo!
💓
David
Thank you so much, David 🙂 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
So many layers to this, Sanaa! A stunning meditation of the moon. ❤️🌕
I particularly liked:
“the blood moon
answers calmly to fishhook barrel cactus,
reminds that it’s a quiet type of chaos,
it’s both barrenness and fertility,”
Thank you so much, my dearest Merril 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
it’s not that I can’t see what you can see,
it’s just that I go deeper,
desert rose, desolation, desire or even damage,
nothing escapes, so as to speak.
the tone is both ominous and healing–a delicate and cutting balance (K)
Thank you so much, Kerfe 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
I am in complete awe … beautiful, deep, sensuous … SO incredibly you, Sanaa.
Thank you so much, my dearest Helen 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
I’m coming to recognize your trademark charismatic flow of words that carry us along like an inexorable wave of passion and rumination, Sanaa. So beautiful!
Awww gosh! Thank you so much, Dora 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Your first line hooks the reader in, Sanaa, and then one is caught up in the beautiful flow of your words! Absolutely gorgeous writing! 💖💖
Thank you so much, Punam 😀 so glad the poem and its imagery appealed to you 💄❤️
The layers of this poem are worth reading several times. Exquisite!
❤️❤️❤️